Content

In the Startup Experience course, you develop entrepreneurial competences that enable you to develop a new venture. In an entrepreneurial project, you have three main goals:

1.  Identify and develop an opportunity. Who is your target customer and what problem or task does he or she have?  How attractive and how big is this market?

2.  How will you provide value for them? How can you use specific resources, including technology to develop a solution?

3.  How can you conceive and set up a viable organization? Which business model do you suggest to create, deliver, and capture value?

After the teams are formed, a teambuilding session follows so that the team members get to know each other better and establish the cornerstones for working together. In this way, they create a basis for their joint project.

The focus of the seminar is on technology-based venturing. In this context, we will use the TAS (Technology-Application-Selection) approach developed at the EnTechnon. By default, we start from KIT patents (but you can also ‘bring with you’ other new technologies). We analyze the technology and use creativity techniques to find potential applications. Among other approaches, we will systematically explore applications around the UN sustainable development goals. Prototyping, business model development, and pitching are part of the seminar.

Learning Objectives

You will be able to explore deep technology venturing opportunities and create new products and services. The pedagogical approach is that of action learning. In a team, you will experience typical challenges and processes related to setting up a new business and develop the corresponding entrepreneurial competences.

After completing this course, the course participants will be able to:

• Characterize the core process of Deep Tech Venturing,
• Work effectively in a cohesive team, 
• Use a technology characterization canvas to extract the core characteristics of a technology,
• Apply creativity techniques to ideate potential applications,
• Use utility analysis approaches to select a promising technology application,
• Develop a value proposition based on techniques like the value proposition canvas or the jobs-to-be-done method,
• Use approaches of technology impact assessment to implement responsible innovation processes,
• Apply advanced business modeling methods to develop a sound business concept,
• Develop and deliver a concise presentation (“pitch”) to communicate you project.

Additional information:

Alternative exam assessment. The grade consists of the presentation and the written elaboration. Potentially, a ‘project diary’ of the seminar progress may be part of the deliverables (depends on tutor and will be communicated at the kick-off). 

For a successful course completion, we expect you to submit a Business Plan with the following features:

• Scope: 9000 words,
• Sound and clear structure,
• Expression and spelling are correct
• Complete and correct references, quotations, etc.
• Visual elements are chosen appropriately
• Documentation and traceability of data acquisition, analysis and evaluation,
• Content is developed according to the course instructions.

Furthermore, we expect you to deliver a team Pitch.

• Duration: will be communicated (typically 5-10 minutes)
• Content: Introduction/Purpose; Problem; Solution; Business Model; Prototype; Competition; Management Team; Current Status and next steps,
• Layout and form: appropriate choice,
• Appearance: appropriate amount of visual elements,
• Data: well researched and organized visually
• Story Line: is sound; clear and convincing.

Registration is via the Wiwi portal.

In the seminar you will work on a project in teams of max. 5 persons. Team applications are welcome but not a prerequisite for participation. The seminars will be held in English.